The herein described invention relates generally to the field of poured concrete building construction and more particularly is directed to concrete form panel support such as employed in assembling concrete forms into functional units either in the field or at a factory location for subsequent transportation to a site where they are to be used. The invention involves apparatus used in concrete form panel support with a specific form of elongate beam having a generally uniform I-shaped cross section, characteristically used as a waler, and a cooperating bracket which is to be affixed to the beam and utilized in securing the beam to a stiffener member or strongback, the beam and bracket forming parts of a concrete form panel support structure.
In the field of construction where concrete forms are provided by panels maintained in opposed relationship to each other and between which the soft concrete is poured prior art structures often utilize tie rods extending between both the opposed panels with various forms of wedging or locking devices provided to grip the ends of the tie rods and prevent outward movement of the form panels. Frequently, these devices, employed in conjunction with the forms, have utilized spacers on the tie rods to prevent inward movement of the spaced form panels.
Generally, the above mentioned tie rods and locking devices are associated with stiffeners disposed on opposite sides of the spaced form panels that are generally referred to as strongbacks. In a concrete wall construction each strongback frequently consists of back to back spaced steel channels. The form panel itself is often constructed from sheets of plywood and spaced walers or elongated beams are in turn secured to the back of the panel in strengthening the panel's plywood sheets against distortion when the concrete is poured between the opposed panels. The elongate beams or walers are in turn suitable fastened to the above mentioned stiffeners or strongbacks in completing the form panel support structure.
Of course the plurality of spaced walers secured along the back surface of each form panel add substantially to the weight of the overall form panel support structure. Characteristically, the walers have been provided by wooden members to which the plywood sheet panel, forming the concrete casting form, has been fastened. More recently, proposals using extruded aluminum walers have been suggested to reduce the weight requirements for the overall structure while retaining the necessary strength. These aluminum walers are provided with wooden nailers to which the plywood sheet panel is affixed by screws, nails or other means. Then, outward of the walers, the stiffeners or strongbacks must be affixed to the walers to assure the requisite strength for the concrete form panel incident pouring of the concrete.
It is indeed desireable in the concrete form panel structure that maximum flexibility in the utilization of lightweight aluminum walers be permitted, both in affixation of the walers to the plywood sheet panel, as by a nailer retained a pocket on the aluminum waler, and also in the accommodating maximum freedom in location of the stiffeners or strongbacks relative to the walers as may be needed to meet specific installation requirements for the concrete wall or other structure being made.
In prior proposals utilizing lightweight walers providing maximum flexibility and freedom in connecting the walers to spaced strongbacks has been a problem. Further, many prior art proposals do not provide the desired positive and rigid connection of the walers to the steel channel strongbacks as is necessary in achieving full and maximum strength for the concrete form panel structure.
Considering the disadvantages of the prior art proposals, a principal object of the present invention is to provide the concrete form support structure with apparatus where maximum weight reduction in the overall form panel support structure is provided.
Likewise, an important object is to permit flexibility and freedom in securing the panel reinforcing beams or walers to the form panel and to the stiffeners or strongbacks.
It is another object of this invention to provide a concrete form panel supporting apparatus wherein an elongate panel reinforcing beam is connected by a bracket which performs the dual purpose of spacing the beam or waler properly with reference to the stiffeners or strongbacks and also acts to appropriately space the elements making up the strongback so that the strongback elements can properly accommodate therebetween the tie rods that serve to hold one concrete form panel relative to the opposed concrete form panel between which panels the concrete is poured.
A further object of the invention is in the provision of a panel reinforcing apparatus which enables versatility in utilization with existing components that are provided for concrete form panel support structures.
An additional object is to provide for universal application of the walers, brackets and strongbacks into currently available concrete panel supporting structures.